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Prevent Housemartins Nesting in Your Eaves

For anybody wanting to know how to prevent House Martins from nesting, we must first point out that these and similar birds are protected by law. Knocking down an active nest or preventing birds access to their eggs or young is illegal and attracts potentially high penalties. The best time to act is during the Autumn and Winter months during the birds migration period. House Martins and some similar species are in decline so if possible we suggest leaving a small area clear where they can build their nest without it being an inconvenience.

Why use bird proofing to stop House Martins from nesting? Simply removing old nests will not deter them from rebuilding. They will always return to their old nests, rebuilding them if necessary, so you can guarantee they will return each year, sometimes with many friends!

Preparation

First you will need to remove any old nests and clean the area. We recommend using a specialist guano cleaning product such as Guanaway or PX Ornikill. For large cleaning jobs you may need a specialist kit.

Method 1: Spikes

Bird spikes are becoming a common sight on ledges, sills and roofs, but they can also be an effective barrier to prevent House Martins nesting under eaves. This solution is easy for an amateur to install. We recommend using wide stainless steel spikes as they have the highest density of spikes, other sizes may not prove as effective as the birds may be able to fit through the gaps between the spikes.

We do not recommend placing the spikes on the side wall facing outwards as the birds may still be able to nest in the angle above the spikes.

Method 2: Bird Netting

Netting the area with 19mm bird netting is more aesthetically pleasing, however much less simple for an amateur to install. A wire rope is attached to the perimeter of the area prior to attaching a 19mm mesh net.

The net should be taught with the mesh evenly spread as shown above so that birds do not get caught in it. Badly installed nets can cause injury and death to birds! If you are not confident in your ability to carry out a bird netting installation we would recommend using a professional bird net installation service. Contact us for details.

Important Note: For anybody wanting to know how to prevent House Martins from nesting, we must first point out that these and similar birds are protected by law. Knocking down an active nest or preventing birds access to their eggs or young is illegal and attracts potentially high penalties. The best time to act is during the Autumn and Winter months during the birds migration period. House Martins and some similar species are in decline so if possible we suggest leaving a small area clear where they can build their nest without it being an inconvenience.

Contact us with any bird proofing enquiries, our staff are fully trained and happy to help!